- Ukraine appears to have destroyed a rare Soviet-era armored fighting vehicle.
- The Ladoga was designed for use in "doomsday" environments.
Ukraine appears to have destroyed a rare Soviet-era armored fighting vehicle (AFV) designed in the 1970s as a means of transport for senior Kremlin officials in the event of a nuclear attack.
A video posted on X, formerly Twitter, which bears the insignia of Ukraine's 63rd Mechanized Brigade, appears to show the AFV, known as the "Ladoga," as it is targeted by a drone.
The Ladoga's appearance on the modern-day battlefield could highlight Russia's struggle to replace its fast-dwindling reserve of tanks and armored vehicles.
Rare vehicle of the day? Ladoga gets hit by fpv drone. Once a transport vehicle for VIPs, now a target of FPVs.https://t.co/ZAHs1kJ2M5 pic.twitter.com/MmmKwXlJPA
— Andrew Perpetua (@AndrewPerpetua) March 26, 2024
Business Insider was unable to independently verify the claims but AFV recognition, a social media account that tracks Russian armor vehicles, confirmed to BI that they believed the vehicle seen in the video was a Ladoga.
The AFV Recognition account holder, who spoke anonymously as they said they were serving in the military, told BI that it was "extremely surprising" to see the vehicle out in the field, noting that they had not seen any photographs or records of them leaving storage facilities, which may suggest it was moved "some degree of secrecy."
The Ladoga AFV
The Ladoga's intended role as a transport vehicle for the Soviet political elite in a potential nuclear attack led to it being nicknamed the "Doomsday Tank."
The vehicle combines the armored hull of a T-80 tank chassis with a 1,250-horsepower gas turbine engine.
The AFV Recognition account holder said that the "rear-facing exhaust" shown in the video confirmed that the vehicle was "certainly a T-80 chassis vehicle."
It is believed that only four or five Ladogas were ever made, The Telegraph reported.
The vehicle was first field-tested after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in April 1986, when it carried out "chemical reconnaissance" of the area, per AFV Recognition.
Photos of the Ladoga's interior show comfy chairs, tables, and monitors.
It also had a ventilation system and storage for food and water that could last the crew for up to 48 hours, per AFV Recognition.
Russia has lost a huge quantity of tanks and armored vehicles since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In February, Bastian Giegerich, the director-general of the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank, said that Russia had likely lost over 3,000 tanks since the invasion began.
"To put that into perspective, Russia's battlefield tank losses are greater than the number it had when it launched its offensive in 2022," Giegerich said.
Russia has been forced to turn to older Soviet models — as well as surprising alternatives such as Chinese golf carts — to make up for its losses.
But Russia maintains a significant advantage over Ukraine in terms of munitions and equipment supplies, the UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in an update on the conflict last week.
The MoD said Russia was likely recruiting 30,000 additional troops a month, adding that it was "highly likely" it could continue its attacks on Ukraine and absorb losses.